Russian Orthodox Church walks out of Catholic-Orthodox talks

Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church walked out of a joint meeting of Catholic and Orthodox theologians being held in Ravenna, Italy, this week. Their protest was not against anything that had been done or said by the Catholics present; instead, it was against some of their fellow Orthodox.

The Russian Orthodox representatives, Bishop Ilarion of Vienna and Austria and Father Igor Vyzhanin, were protesting the inclusion of a representative of the Estonian Apostolic Church at the talks. Although the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople (who claims a "first among equals" relationship with other Orthodox Patriarchs) has given canonical recognition to the Estonian church, the Russian Orthodox Church continues to deny that status and to assert its own authority over the Orthodox Christians of Estonia. Alexy II, the Patriarch of Moscow and spiritual leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, is himself Estonian by birth.

Time will tell how well the various Orthodox churches can adjust to the changed realities of post-Soviet Europe. Unity and consensus among themselves would be a good first step.